Adult Admitted Patient Survey Results

The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (16:32:55):

My question is addressed to the Minister for Regional Health. Would the Minister update the House on the experiences of patients in regional New South Wales?

The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (Minister for Women, Minister for Regional Health, and Minister for Mental Health) (16:33:15):

I thank the honourable member for her question. The results are in for the 2021 Adult Admitted Patient Survey, and it is a positive tale for regional New South Wales. The Adult Admitted Patient Survey is conducted by the Bureau of Health Information, an independent body which gathers feedback from patients about their experiences of care in public hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Over 19,300 patients were surveyed—over 10,000 of these from regional and rural New South Wales—and the results are clear.

While there are always areas to improve, the data shows that patients in both urban and rural facilities had a positive care experience. Overall, 95 per cent of patients rated the nurse's care as "very good" or "good" and 94 per cent rated the doctors who treated them as "very good" or "good". The survey results show no significant difference in the experiences of patients in rural and urban facilities in the majority—that is in 36 out of 51—of the survey questions. Furthermore, patients in rural hospitals gave higher ratings than metropolitan peers across 13 categories, including overall satisfaction and outcomes; timely, coordinated care; and a safe, comfortable environment. Can you believe it? An independent survey—

The PRESIDENT:

Order! The Minister has the call.

The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR:

—of regional New South Wales has positive results. Perhaps Labor can finally support pictures of happy regional people on the cover of the Government's next rural health plan—in country clothing. The survey also got feedback on patients' experiences of virtual care. Between July and December, 26 per cent of patients said they had a virtual care appointment in the three months after their discharge. Of these patients, nine in 10 said the care they received was "good" or "very good" and more than three‑quarters said their care was "about the same" or "better" than their in-person appointments. Further, more than 85 per cent said they would use virtual care again. It is a good story.

When comparing 2020 and 2021 results, the hospitals with the largest improvements were all in regional New South Wales, with Inverell, Port Macquarie and Bathurst improving in five or more percentage points on 10 or more questions. The hospitals with the largest number of results that were significantly more positive than the rest of the State were, again, all in regional areas. Those hospitals were Murwillumbah, Kempsey, Kurri Kurri, Mudgee, Casino, Macksville, Queanbeyan and Batemans Bay. Finally, the kindness, respect—

Opposition members interjected.

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I know Opposition members do not want to hear anything positive. I get it. But this is an independent body. Mr President, they just do not like it. Finally, the kindness, respect and dignity shown to patients in New South Wales public hospitals was reflected in the survey results, as 86 per cent said health professionals were "always" kind and caring—

Opposition members interjected.

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Time expired.

Opposition members do not want to hear about kind and caring health professionals, do they? Shame on them. []

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